


A Meh Proposal

by ArabellaTurner



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 18:45:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17966024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArabellaTurner/pseuds/ArabellaTurner
Summary: Jared Kleinman is certain that he has the perfect proposal plan for Evan Hansen, but just how accurate is his definition of perfect?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic started as a joke between myself and one of my friends about the best/worst way Jared could propose to Evan. She then insisted that I turn it into a full story, so here it is!
> 
> This takes place in a canon that is both book and play acceptable as long as you take from the book that Evan’s first name is actually Mark.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jared prepares to take the next step with Evan, he thinks back over his life and how it has changed since high school.

Jared Kleinman was pretty sure he had come up with the singular best way to propose. It was the perfect mix of snark and sweetness, and the perfect combination of surprise and security. It wasn’t the sort of thing that would be overwhelming, yet it also wasn’t as straightforward as just suddenly bending down on one knee. Not to mention it started by asking one of the important questions.

Jared had actually come up with it all the way back in high school. That was back when proposing was only just a fantasy for him. He would sit in class and zone out, imagining what it would be like to have the courage to actually tell Evan how he felt.

Everything was different now though. Years had passed since high school and Jared was no longer the man he once was. For one thing, he was actually out now. He was no longer ashamed of who he was and what he longed for. When Jared looked in the mirror nowadays, he actually mostly liked what he saw looking back at him.

His attempts to change himself really began in college. His first steps were to start working out in earnest and ditch his nerdy look. He switched out his glasses to contacts, styled his hair differently, and ditched the graphic T-shirts. The new and improved Jared Kleinman certainly looked cooler. It helped with his self confidence a little bit, at least at first.

He was back to wearing glasses and graphic T-shirts now though. He did still work out and style his hair differently, but he eventually realized that what he was looking for in the mirror wasn’t a more stylish Jared, but a more likable one. He wanted to look at himself and see someone he would enjoy spending time with.

That realization was what lead him to pick up the phone and send the first text. It was just a simple “Hey, what’s up?” but it was the first text of so, so many to come. 

The walls broke down slowly. The healing took even longer and the restored friendship longer still. It wasn’t until Jared was a senior and Evan a junior that they actually started dating. Now Jared was out of college and Evan would be graduating in a couple of months.

Jared was currently working at a tech company near where Evan went to school. It was only a temporary job, and he knew it. At one point in his life, he dreamed of moving to California and getting a job at one of the big tech companies. Now he dreamed of moving wherever he and Evan could find fulfilling jobs together.

There were parks all over the country, so Jared was sure that they could find a place where they could happily settle down. First he just had to ensure that they really would be spending the rest of their lives together.

So that brought Jared back to his proposal plans. Despite being a very different person from the one he was in high school, he still really liked his idea. He had a feeling Evan was probably going to smack him for it, but that just made it better. Evan was a far more confident person than he once was as well. Jared was certain he could take it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan thinks about his life and his plans for the future.

Evan grinned as made his way out of the lecture hall and towards one of his favorite cafes. He had originally been terrified of going to college, but he had a handful of really good friends there now that made it really fun. Every Friday, he would eat lunch at that cafe with everyone. It was a really incredible feeling to have so many friends all around him.

Of course, Evan now had Jared as well. Their friendship started back up over text and Skype during school and in person only during breaks, but once Jared graduated, he found a job near Evan and started working within driving distance. Now he and Evan spent many an evening curled up together in his tiny studio apartment. Despite the limited space, it was their best option when they wanted privacy since Evan was living in an apartment with some of his friends from college.

Evan was rather happy with the way his life was going at the moment. He had managed to strike a good balance between his friends and his boyfriend, keep up decent grades in his classes, and significantly reduce his average number of panic attacks.

He was still somewhat worried about his future though. He didn’t yet have a job lined up for after college. He really did like the idea of working with trees and nature, but he still wasn’t positive what he was going to do with the rest of his life. He also had no idea what would become of his relationship with Jared after he graduated.

Evan knew that Jared’s current job was temporary and he knew that he wouldn’t stay in the area forever either, so he wasn’t sure what the odds were that they would stay together. He supposed they could make sure they did, but he didn’t want it to get in the way of Jared’s dreams.

Evan loved his boyfriend passionately, but he didn’t want to force himself onto him. He knew that Jared said he loved him too, and Evan generally believed him, but he was still a little afraid of trying to take things further than Jared was willing to go and accidentally ruining everything.

So Evan simply waited with baited breath and distracted himself with the joys of the moment. He waved when he saw some of his friends waiting outside the cafe and shoved his fears for his future towards the back of his mind, happily running over to join them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared and Evan go on a date together as Jared gears up to pop the question.

That evening, Evan made his way over to a little pizza place, ordered a couple slices for himself, then made his way to a table in the back. He sent a couple of texts then sat back to wait. Fifteen minutes later, a slightly disheveled looking Jared sat down across from him and flashed him a grin.

Evan smiled back at his boyfriend, relieved that he made it with enough time to still be able to eat before catching the movie. Jared leaned across the table in what seemed like he was going for a kiss, but at the last second, took a bite of Evan’s pizza instead. 

“Hey!” Evan protested with a laugh. Jared grinned again before leaning in and attempting to actually place a kiss on Evan’s lips. Evan moved his head. “Nope! Not going to work. You’re not getting a kiss now until I get a bite of your pizza in return!” Jared laughed, but relented. His pizza would be ready in a few minutes anyways and then he could kiss Evan to his heart’s content.

Besides, the real goal of his little stunt was less about stealing a bite of pizza and more about gauging Evan’s reaction. Despite liking his proposal idea, Jared was still somewhat worried about it. That was actually why he was late to dinner. He must have practiced his words over and over again at least one hundred times before finally heading out. He was still pretty sure that Evan was going to be receptive to his proposal tactic, but at this point, he just wanted to reassure himself. Seeing Evan react so positively to his teasing now was a good sign. 

————

A couple pizza slices and a few kisses later, Jared and Evan made their way to the movies. They were seeing some bad romantic comedy that evening. Evan wasn’t great with crowded theaters, so they typically went together at off times. But since they were going at a prime time that night, they instead opted to see something that had been out for a little bit and had really bad ratings.

Jared felt that a bad romantic comedy was definitely the right way to begin setting the mood. He assumed that it was going to be sappy, cheesy, and sure to make Evan smile. Evan was a total sucker for stuff like that and Jared adored watching his face get all red. He also adored it when Evan buried his face into his chest to try to hide from the overly embarrassing moments. Jared would cover his boyfriend’s ears and hold him protectively until the moment passed. 

This movie proved to be no exception to the rule. By the end, they had spent approximately one third with Evan’s face in Jared’s chest and the rest with Evan blushing and smiling like crazy. Evan even teared up a little when the couple finally got together. Jared was sure that he had never been more ready for anything in his life.

————

Evan loved watching bad movies with Jared. Sometimes they were too much to take and he would actually need to hide his face away, but most of the time, he just liked the excuse to snuggle up and have Jared “protect” him. It was nice to sometimes seek that comfort and solace without actually feeling bad about anything.

That night, Jared seemed a little tense. Evan wasn’t really sure what was bothering him, but he made sure to snuggle extra since it seemed to calm him down. That meant Evan didn’t pay the greatest amount of attention to the movie, but that was okay.

Oftentimes he actually just imagined that the couple was himself and Jared. He would insert the two of them into the cute dating scenes, the romantic kisses, and even the proposals and weddings. Since he wasn’t really sure what the storyline was here, it was even easier to insert the two of them in, so by the end of the movie, he found himself in tears.

————

After the movie, Evan followed Jared to a small, local park. It was one of their favorite places to spend time together. It was rather late at this point and the moon and stars were out. Evan couldn’t help but find it all rather romantic.

After assuring Evan that he was okay and just a little frazzled from earlier when he was running late, Jared managed to steer the conversation in a less troublesome direction. Before long, they had talked about Evan’s classes, some video game Jared was excited about, and an assortment of other mundane topics.

Just as Evan felt himself slipping out of the romantic daze and falling more into just a comfortable camaraderie with Jared, the conversation took a rather weird turn. Evan’s brow furrowed when he heard the question and he found himself struggling for a reply.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared finally asks the question, but have his plans completely missed their mark?

Although he was in a bit of a rush since Evan was a little suspicious, Jared knew he had to bide his time if he was going to make this work. He had to make sure he asked the question casually, as though he had only just thought about it. He managed to successfully direct the conversation into one about a video game series he liked, and then into some of the creators, and then to some of their weird names. From there he figured that Evan would have the right mindset to understand his implications.

He then let the conversation drift off into silence for a few moments before finally speaking again. “So, if you got to choose between the two, would you rather I stop being a joke or you stop being boring?”

Jared looked expectantly up at Evan as he asked the question, excited to see how his boyfriend would respond, highly anticipating the moment when his face turned away from confusion and towards realization. After a few moments, Jared’s heart began to sink when the realization didn’t come.

Instead Evan’s face seemed to fall a little, pain evident in his eyes. Jared took solace in the fact that he still looked rather confused and therefore must have found such a question out of character. Unsure what to do, Jared simply asked “Well?”

Evan meekly shrugged. “Well, you aren’t a joke, so I guess I would rather stop being boring. I’m really sorry if I’m boring y...” Jared cut Evan off before he could finish apologizing for something completely untrue and forced a giant grin onto his face. “So Evan Kleinman then. It has a nice ring to it!”

Evan stared at Jared in even more confusion. “Jared, what on earth are you talking about?” Jared forced his smile to get even wider. “Oh? So you actually prefer Jared Hansen. That sounds really good to me as well!” Evan furrowed his brow again for a second before his eyes suddenly lit up.

Just as Jared expected, Evan proceeded to smack him on the arm. There was a little bit more force to it than Jared had originally anticipated, but at least he knew that Evan realized his implications now.

“Not funny!” Evan protested. He pouted at Jared. He tried to play it off, but there was still a degree of lingering pain there. Jared smiled weakly at him. “I have to admit, this scene played out way better in my head. Part of me sort of wants to forget about this and just do a do-over, but I feel like at this point I just need to take things all the way, before I somehow manage to make this moment, which in my head was adorable, even worse.”

Jared turned bright red as he got off the bench and down on one knee. He held out a box with a ring in it. “Just for the record, I have never once felt bored of you and I know that I never will. That being said, Mark Evan Hansen, will you permit me to free myself of the initials J.K. and take on J.H. instead? Or alternatively, will you cease to be M.E.H. so you can be M.E.K. instead?” 

Jared felt himself growing redder as he rambled on, trying his best to salvage his completely botched proposal. Why on earth had he actually thought this was a clever idea? “Basically, what I’m asking is, will, will you please, I mean, will you, will you marry me, Evan?”

Evan thought he might pass out. “You, you really mean that, Jared? You really want to marry me?” Jared smiled up at the love of his life. “I have never been more sure of anything in my life. You might as well call me Jared Hansen right now because not an ounce of me is joking about this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear he’s trying! It was a horrible idea that popped into my head one day and it just seemed like such a Jared thing to actually do!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan admits his fears of the future to Jared, but Jared admits why he isn’t afraid.

Evan collapsed into Jared arms and held him close. “Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes! Of course I will marry you, Jared Kleinman, or Hansen, or whatever I’m going to start calling you! Yes! Oh Jared, I love you so much!”

Jared laughed happily as he held Evan tightly. Tears streamed down his cheeks. The two young men kissed each other over and over again. Neither had ever felt so happy before in all his life.

Jared stroked the head of his beloved Evan and listened to his sobs. At first they appeared to be from tears of joy like his own, but as they got louder and more violent, Jared began to worry.

He gently pulled Evan away by the shoulders and held him there. “Are you okay, Ev? If you feel like we’re moving too quickly, I can wait. I don’t want you to feel rushed. You also don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to feel pressured either.”

Evan shook his head. “That’s not it, Jared. I do want to marry you, I really do. I’m just worried. Is this really what’s best for us? I mean, I obviously love being with you and want to stay by your side, but will it really work out with our plans for the future?”

Jared smiled affectionately at his boyfriend. “You are an important part of my plans for the future. It’s true that I wouldn’t be happy living somewhere where I couldn’t get any sort of job in my industry, but there are jobs I would be happy with all over the country, all over the world even. And I don’t plan on working any sort of job that would keep me constantly moving or traveling or anything like that. I want to work somewhere when I can come home at night and be beside the one I love most in all the world. My ideal future would never be complete without that. If you would also be happy in a life like that, then I want nothing more than for us to share it together.”

Evan sniffled a little, the tears still streaming down his face. He got down to the ground and looked around for a second before plucking a particularly long strand of grass. Gently taking Jared’s left hand, he stretched out his ring finger and tied the blade of grass around it.

“It’s obviously just a temporary ring, but I wanted to give you one in return. I don’t know yet whose name we will take, but whether I am M.E.H. or you are J.K., I will be happy. You have made it clear to me that you will never grow bored of me or intentionally make a joke of something important. I swear the same for you. These names do not define us, but our love for each other does. So yes, without any doubts or concerns left in my mind, I can say for certain that I will marry you!”

In a swift motion, Evan picked the ring up out of the box and placed it on his finger, but before he got the change to actually admire it, he felt Jared pull him into a kiss. He laughed then kissed his boyfriend, no fiancé, back. 

The rest of the evening was spent in a blissful walk out under the moonlight, the two young men hand in hand. Jared gently rubbed his thumb over Evan’s ring as they walked and talked. Jared’s own grass blade ring was too delicate to actually touch, but he planned to save it forever. It was the ring with which Evan proposed to him after all.

They chatted the night away, discussing the futures they had once been too afraid to talk about. There was still a lot they had to figure out and a lot that was still unknown, but now they knew they would be spending it together. And although they didn’t yet have any of the details planned, one thing they were now absolutely sure of was that one day in the not-too-distant future, they would be married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you liked it! It’s just a cute, fluffy little fic. I always give these two so much angst, that it was nice to let them just be happy like this!


End file.
